Separator.



H. 1. BROWN.

SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY ll. 1.9.14.

1 9 1 42 0 1 '1. Patented June 8, 1915..

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HOWARD J'. BROWN, OF MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO HOWE AND DAVIDSON COMPANY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented June 8, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HOWARD J. BROWN,

a citizen of the United States, and a resi-v dent of Marseilles, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and. to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part cuit or cracker at each end of each row arranged fiatwise against the adjacent side or upright wall of the box. Flat sheets of relatively stiff paper or fiber+board are usually placed horizontally between the superposed layers of biscuits, crackers or the like for the purpose of separating the layers of articles and lessening liability of injury thereto in rough handling of the receptacles. In handling the boxes or cartonsduring shipment and about the retail store, those crackers or biscuits which are located at the ends of the rows are liable to slip or enter between the edges of the separators and the adjacent upright walls of the box, by reason either of the loose fit of the separators. in the receptacle, 'the' fiexing of the edges of the separators, or the bendlng outwardly of such side walls in case the receptacle is made of somewhat flexible material, with the consequence that many of such biscuits or crackers are liable to become crushed or broken by reason of their displacement or by being caught between the margins of the separators and the upright box wal ls.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a form of separator sheet, for the purpose of separating the superposed layers of crackers or biscuits, which will also serve to prevent the sidewalls of a receptacle from being subjected to pressure from the contents of the receptacle, in a manner to spreader bend the same outwardly, and also to prevent the biscuits or crackers adjacent to a side wall or walls of the receptacle from sllpping or entering between the margins of the separator sheet and the upright walls of the receptacle in the handling of the filled receptacle in transp rtation or in the place of business of the retail dealer.

The separator herein illustrated comprises in its general features a flat main part or member having upright marginal parts or flanges, the latter being formed by bending the marginal parts of the blank from which the separator is-made into a position at right angles to the plane of the flat main part of the separator. The upright marginal parts of the separator extend or project both above and below the plane of the low the separator. The flanges and tongues or flaps, thus arranged, serve to prevent the crackers or biscuits adjacent thereto from slipping or entering into the spaces betweenthe margins ofthe separators and the adjacent box walls.

The invention also relates to the blank from-which the separator is made. The invention consists further inthe matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure 1 is a plan view of a cutan'd scored blank from which my improved separator is-formed;

'Fig. 2- is a perspective view of a separator set up from the blank shown in Fig. 1; and

.Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view of a box or carton having a plurality of superposed rows or layers of biscuits, crackers or the like packed therein, and showing separators constructed in accordance with my invention placed within said box between the superposed rows or layers of biscuits, crackers or the like.

Referring to the drawings illustrating in detail a separator embodying the features of my invention, 10 (Fig. 1) designates a blank, in flat form, from which the separator is made. The blank, asshown, 1s rectilinear in form and is made from a single sheet of relatively still material, such as thick paper, fiber-board or the like. The blank is divided by marginal score or fold lines, to be presently referred to, into a rec tilinear flat body portion 11 and marginal strips 12, 12 integral with said body portion, the latter constituting, when the separator is set up, the bottom wall of an article resembling a shallow tray. Between the marginal stri as 12, 12 and said body portion 11 are forms score lines 13, 13, upon which said marginal strips are folded or bent upwardly from the plane of the body portion 11. Said marginal strips 12, 12 form, when the separator is set up, upright marginal flanges or side walls. By preference, the ends of said upright flanges 12, 12 meet and have interlocking" connection with each other at the corners of the separator, in order to hold the flanges 12, 12 in upright posit on and to prevent the same from spreadlng apart.

The locking means shown for connecting the meeting ends of the flanges 12, 12 at the corners of the separator is made as follows: Each marginal strip or wall.12 extends the full length of the body portion 11 and 1s provided at one end thereof with an integral extension forming a locking tongue 14,

adapted to be bent at right angles to the flange to which it is joined on a transverse score or fold line 15. Said tongue 14, when bent as stated, overlaps the associated or non-tongued end of the adjacent flange'12 and the free end of said tongue 14 is inserted in a locking notch or slot 16 provided in the non-tongued end of, said adjacent flange. As shown in Fig. 2, the locking tongues 14, 14 at the corners of the separator are exterior to and overlap the non-tongued ends of the adjacent flanges '12, 12. The non-tongued ends of the flanges 12, 12 abut endwise against the inner faces of the tongued ends of the adjacent flanges.

Each marginal flange 12 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced flaps or tongues 17,.17, joined to the base of said flange and adapted to extend below the body 11 of the separator when the flanges 12, 12 are in upright position. (Fig. 2.) As

. shown, said projections 17 17 are integral with the flange 12 and are formed by providing a plurality of longitudinally spaced U- shaped slits or cuts 18, 18 in the body portion 11, said slits or cuts extending into the body portion 11 from the line of junction between the flange 12 and said body portion. Said flaps or projections 17, 17, when the blank is in its flat form, extend inwardly from the marginal strips 12, 12 and lie in the plane of the bottom portion 11 and said marginal strips 12, 12. (Fig. 1.) )Vhen the separator is set up, as shown in Fig. 2, the flaps or tongues 17, 17 extend in the plane of the flange 12 below the body portion 11, and a plurality of marginal openings are formed in said body portion. The scored or folding lines 13, 13, above referred to, extend between and connect the ends of said cuts or slits 18, 18, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The flaps or tongues 17, 17, thus made. form extensions of continuations of the flanges 12, 12, so that there are no folding lines between said flaps or tongues and the body 11, so that any outward spreading of the parts both above and below the said body is resisted by the stiffness of the material which forms the flanges and tongues or flaps.

When the separator is set up, as shown in Fig. 2, the same is used as follows: In Fig. 3, I have shown a box or carton 19 having upright side walls 20, 20, a bottom wall 21 and upright front and rear walls 22, 22 (only one of the latter being shown). The box may also be provided with a lid or cover (not shown). The box or carton referred to may constitute what is known in the trade as a caddy, in which are packed, on edge and in rows and in superposed layers, biscuits, crackers, or similar bakery products. In the drawings, the crackers, biscuits, or the like, are indicated by the reference characters 23, 23. In packing the box or carton 19, a plurality of crackers or biscuits 23, 23 are placed edgewise' and in rows on the bottom wall 21 of the box, with the crackers or biscuits at each end of each row parallel with and bearing flatwise against the side walls 20, 20 of said box. Before the crackers or biscuits forming the next layer are placed in the box, a separator made as above described and shown is inserted in the box with 'the body part 11 thereof resting upon the upper edges of the crackers or biscuits of "the bottom rows.

The separator is of such size as to fit snugly within the box and the marginal flanges 12, 12 and flaps or tongues 17 17 are in contact with the upright walls of the box. The separator will usually be inserted in the box in such manner that the flaps or tongues 17, 17 extend downward, and in that case said flaps or tongues are interposed or inserted between'the upper portions of those biscuits orcrackers below the separator and next adjacent to the uprightwalls of the box. After the separator has been placed in the box as stated, crackers or biscuits 23, 23 for the second layer are placed on edge and in rows on the separator within the space formed by the upright flanges 12, 12, and said flanges are then located between the upright walls of the box and the biscuits or crackers adjacent thereto. Another separator is then placed in the box upon the upper edges of the crackers or biscuits of the secondlayer and the packing of biscuits and separators continued until the box is filled. The separators serve as partitions between the superposed layers of articles packed in the box, andthereby prevent the articles in one layer from coming in contact with and damaging the articles in the next and adjacent layers. The flanges 12, 12 of each separator prevent the crackers or biscllits above the separator from slipping or being forced between the edges of the separator and the side walls of the box. The depending flaps 17 17, in like manner, serve to prevent the biscuits or crackers below the separator from entering between the edges of the separator and the adjacent side walls of .the box, especially when the cartonpr box is placed in inverted position during handling or shipment.

The separator above described is particularly applicable for use in connection with cartons or boxes, the walls of which are made of fiber-board or the like, as in such boxes the upright walls of the box are likely to flex or bend outwardly under the sidewise pressure thereon of the contents of the box,

in amanner to form spaces between the margins of the separator and the box walls, through which the crackers or biscuits in contact with such walls may pass, with resulting disarrangement of, and liability of injury to, the contents of the box. In the construction described, the body or fiat central part of each separator serves to connect with each other the upright marginal parts or flanges at its opposite sides, which latter are thereby held from spreading apart and are adapted to receive the lateral or horizontal pressure due to the tendency of the contents of the box to spread laterally, or press against the said side walls, so that in the use of such separators the flat side walls of the box are largely relieved of pressure tending to bend or bulge outwardly the said side walls. By providing each separator with marginal flanges or flaps or tongues extending both above and below the same, the biscuits or crackers, arranged in an upright position in each layer, are laterallyconfined at both their upper and lower edges. In this connection the construction described, in which the upright marginal parts which extend above and below the body of the separator are made continuous with each other, is of advantage, because of the fact that the stillness of the material forming the upright parts tends to prevent the separate outward flexing of the parts above and below the plane of the separator body, under outward pressure of the layer of articles above and below such body.

The flanges 12, 12, in one instance, and the tongues 17, 17, in the other instance, constitute in effect flange members, that project from opposite sides of the body of the separator, and both of which perform the same function of holding in place the articles in the layers between which the separator is placed. Such flange members will perform their principal oflice of preventing the biscuits or crackers from slipping past the edge of the separator, if employed upon one margin only of the separator sheet, which in that case may be made of less width than the distance between the side wall of the receptacle against which the flange members are placed and the wall opposite thereto. When the separator has flaps on one margin only, two separators will be usually applied above each layer of crackers or biscuits, arranged in contact with the two opposite walls of the receptacle and in engagement with the rows of biscuits which extend at right angles to such walls. While a separator having flanges upon one of its margins only will act to a degree in preventing outward pressure of the hiscuits or crackers on the side walls of the receptacle, yet this result will be much more certainly obtained when the flanges are used upon the two opposite margins of the separator which engage the ends of the rows of crackers or biscuits, and such flanges will be more conveniently used upon all four margins of the separator, as in the instance illustrated in the drawings. By making the oppositely projecting flange members on each margin of the separator in the particular form illustrated, that is to say, in one instance in the form of a flange, and in the other case in the form of separated tongues cut from the body of the separatorsheet, the separator may be readily made of a single piece of material or blank, with obvious advantages in point of cheapness and ease of construction.

A separator embracing my invention may be variously modified with regard to its details of construction and arrangement, and I do not desire to be limited to the specific features illustrated and described, except so far as is pointed out in the'appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A separator made of sheet material and adapted for use in a container for crackers and like articles, said separator comprising a flat body member having on the opposite margins thereof flan e portions, projecting above and below said body member; ,the flange portions oneach mar-' and adapted to engage articles above and below said body member. 1

3. In combination with a container for crackers and like articles, a separator made of sheet material and adapted-to be placed in saidcontainer, said separator comprising a flat body member having on its opposite margins flange portions, projecting above and below said body member; the flange portions on each margin being maderigid with each other, arranged parallel to the inner surface of the adjacent sidewall of the container, and adapted to engage articles above and below said body member.

4. In combination with a container for crackers and like articles, a separator made of sheet material and adapted to be placed in said container, said separator comprising a flat body member provided on at least one of its margins with a flange portion, projecting to one side of said body member, and a plurality of laterally spaced tongues projecting to the other side of said body member and being made rigid with and in the same plane with said flange portion; the flange and tongues on one margin of said body member having flatwise bearing against the inner surface of the adjacent side wall of said container and adapted to engage articles above and below said body member.

5. A separator made of sheet material and a flat, rectangular body member having on each margin thereof a flange portion, projecting to one side of said body member, and a plurality of tongues projecting to the other side of said body member; the flange portion and tongues on each margin being integral, in the same plane and rigid with each other, and adapted to engage articles above and below said body member.

6. The combination with a container for crackers and like articles, of a separator made of sheet material and adapted to be placedin said container, said separator comprising a flat body member provided on each of its opposite margins with a flange member, projecting to one side of said body member, and a plurality of laterally spaced tongues projecting to the other side of said body member; the flange portion and tongues on each margin of saidbody member being integral, in the same plane and made rigid with each other, and adapted to bear flatwise against the inner surface of the adjacent wall of the container.

7. The combination with a container for crackers and like articles, of a separator made of sheet material and adapted to be placed in said container, said separator comprising a flat, rectangular body member I provided on at least one of its margins with 'a flange member, projecting to one side of said body member, anda plurality of longltudmally spaced tongues cut from the body member and projecting to the other s1de of said body member; the flange member and tongues on one margin of said body member being in the same plane and made Ilgld with each other and adapted to engage articles above and below said body member and bear flatwise against the inner surface of the ad acent side wall of said container.

8'. A separator made of sheet material and adapted for use in a container for crackers and llke articles, said separator comprising a flat, rectangular body member having on opposite margins thereof parallel flange portions pro ecting to one side of said body member and a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues projecting to the other side of said body member; the flange portion and tongues on each margin of said body member being in the same plane and made rigid with each other and adapted to engage articles above and below said body member.

9. A separator made of sheet material and comprising a flat, rectangular body member havmg on each margin a flange portion projecting above the body member and a plurality of tongues projectingbelow the body member, said tongues being made rigid with and in the same plane as saidflange portion; the flange portions extending along the marginsv of said body member and having inciarlocking connection at their meeting en s.

10. A blank for a separator made from a single sheet of sheet material divided on opposite sides by means of a score or fold line into a body portion and marginal strips, the latter being on opposite sides of said body portion and adapted to be bent on said score or fold lines to formv parallel upright flanges on opposite margins of said body portion, said body portion being provided along each of said score or fold lmes with a plurality of segmental cuts or slits extending into said body portion from the said fold lines and forming tongues rigid and in the same planewith the said flanges; said tongues being moved into a position extending below said body portion upon the bending of said flanges upwardly.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in the presence of 'twowitnesses, this 1st day of May A. D. 1914.

HOWARD J. BROWN.

Witnesses:

F. A. BOYLE, W. B. DAVIDSON. 

